Freeing Destiny (Fate #2) (24 page)

But I hadn’t planned on this shit.
My
brother playing house with one of
them.

Those bratty, self-righteous Edwards girls. I guess they were all whores. Like mother like daughter. Nasty sluts. I hated them all but it seemed they had some kind of charm that had everyone else bowing at their feet.

It didn’t matter.

Either way, I could not allow this to happen again! There was no way in hell one of those white trash bitches would ruin my life all over again by taking what belonged to
me
.

My
men.

My
family.

My
heart.

Not him! He’s mine!
I wanted to scream.
Get your disgusting claws off him and make your dirt bag clan just disappear for good already.

I lost the first time—sloppy mistakes and careless feelings. But
this
time—this time I was prepared. I learned my lesson while clearing my head, even if I had to distance myself and run away like a coward to do so.

But now I was back. And it was time someone paid.

Trying as hard as I could to keep my boiling anger to a simmer, I creeped out of his bedroom as quietly as I entered.

I’ll spend the night in a hotel
.

They don’t need to know I’m back . . . yet.

Maybe I can surprise them for breakfast.

Jack

“Mmmm. Good morning, love. Smells like you already started breakf—”
Huh?
How could she be there
and
here? It didn’t make sense.

The crackling of bacon and the smell of freshly brewed coffee woke my senses, but not my sleeping beauty. Stella was still in dreamland beside me, coiled up in sheets and hair, and whistling from the little pout that formed on her lips while she slept.

Beautiful.
I admired her peacefulness, ghosting my palm over her cheek and smiling. Whatever was going on in the kitchen wafted into my bedroom and drew my attention from the gorgeous lady in my bed.

I sat up, pulling the covers to my chin. It was a cowardly move, especially if there was an intruder in my kitchen.
Yeah, sure. What kind of burglar cooks for you before he robs you blind?
It made no sense. Who could it be? And then it hit me.

Fuck! No way! It couldn’t be! Could it?

I jumped off the mattress and ran to the door, closing it behind me so the screaming about to ensue wouldn’t wake Stella.

I yanked a shirt over my head as I raced down the hall, and approached the mystery chef with a pit in my stomach. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Aubrey? You can’t just show up unannou—”

“Well, hello to you too, big brother! It’s so nice to see you. You look well rested. Have a good night’s sleep?” Her niceties dripped from her tongue like honey. That was Aubrey—a master of disguise. She hid behind her good looks and bright smile, but on the inside she was dark and ugly.

I rushed over to her at the stove. “Cut the shit. What are you doing here?” I kept my voice down and peered over my shoulder to make sure Stella hadn’t wandered out of bed to find this unpleasant surprise.

With a shrug and a wave of the spatula, her grin grew wide. “I’m back.”

Obviously. But why here? The better question was, how?
Fuck! She had a key! I knew I should’ve changed the locks.

“Aubrey, you can’t be here! This is just really bad . . . timing.”

Ignoring how irate and rattled I was, she continued calmly stirring the pot. Literally. “Is this any way to treat your sister after she’s been gone so long? Where’s my hug? My welcome back, Aubs? Huh?”

This chick was off her rocker. Always had been. She couldn’t be
this
clueless, though. She’d fucked with a lot of people—including my best friend—right before she ran away to hide from her mistakes. And now, I was sleeping with the enemy. If she knew Stella was in the other room, she would
not
be grinning that way.

“This isn’t a good time,” I pleaded. “I appreciate the—what am I saying? You really should’ve called first. You can’t be here. I have . . . company.”

“Oh! How lovely. My studly brother scored last night. What’s the matter, don’t want a witness for her walk of shame?”

Something was up. Her tone was already malicious. Could she know? Had Emma told her? She was acting squirrely, sneaky. There was no doubt in my mind Aubrey knew very well exactly
who
my company was.

“How did you know?” I spat out the question and grabbed her wrist to put an end to her generous housekeeper act. I didn’t want her runny scrambled eggs
. She probably poisoned them, anyway.

“Whoa. Cool your jets.” She laughed, and let her eyes narrow on mine. “No need to get physical. I’m a changed woman. I did my time in Lonesomeville and thought long and hard. I’m not the person I was, Jack. I promise.”

Bullshit.
I was sure of it, but I wasn’t an asshole, and she was still my sister. An explanation would be nice. “That still doesn’t explain how you knew or what you’re doing here.”

She fluttered her lids and sighed. “I’m here because I want a second chance to make things right, and I know about you and Stella because I stopped by last night and found you two together. I didn’t want to interrupt your happy little love fest, so I saw myself out and stayed at a hotel.”

“Where you’ll also be staying tonight.” I was quick to point that out. Even if she had changed her tune—which I was still extremely skeptical about—there wasn’t enough room for Stella
and
Aubrey under one roof. Aubrey may’ve been ready to make amends, but Stella’s wounds were still fresh.

“I guess I can hang there another night or two, but I was really hoping to spend some time with you and Emma. Mom and Dad are still pissed and I need my allies.”

Fat chance of that. Even as a kid, Aubrey never made allies—only enemies. One had to wonder if she was finally ready to grow up and start fresh. I hoped that was the case because I wanted to think of my sister without a knot in my gut. But that was her fault. She did the damage. We just sat back and watched the continuous reel that was the Aubrey show. It was quite amusing, even if it was a train wreck.
She
was a train wreck. The kind that didn’t care who got hurt in the mayhem. No mercy.

“Aubs,” I pleaded, putting on the nice guy act. “You have to know that this isn’t gonna go over well. Not only did you fuck over her mother, you stalked her stepfather, who is now her really good friend,
and
you physically assaulted Gabriella! Not to mention, what you had Dad do at the university was illegal and if it gets out—which you’re lucky it hasn’t yet—he’ll be ruined. Why are you playing with fire? Why would you come back?” It was harsh. I realized it after the fact. The words stained my tongue with bitterness. She was my sister. My family. My flesh and blood. I loved her. I just didn’t like her very much.

“Wow. So I guess you hate me, too. Like the rest of the world.”

The poor me song. She was really good at that too. “Don’t do that. Don’t blame the rest of the world for your mistakes. You did this to yourself, Aubs. You fucked up. Own it.”

“I’m trying to, but you’re not letting me!” Her voice screeched through the apartment and I knew that was it. If Stella hadn’t already heard our bickering, that final shrieking cry must have made her levitate off the bed.

“Damn it!” I barked. “Tears don’t do it for me, Aubrey! Dramatics might win you an Oscar one day but it won’t win
me
over.”

She covered her face and cried into her palms, the over-exaggerated sobs muffled by her hands.

When I spun at the sound of something behind me, I found Stella with her hands on her hips and her eyes full of rage.

“Good morning, Sunshine.” I swaggered over to her and leaned in for a kiss.

She raised her hand, resting them on my lips, and pushed my face away. “What in God’s name is
she
doing here, Jack?”

I’d never seen her this way. Her quiet composure actually scared the shit out of me, because her body language sang a different tune. Her jaw was clenched so tightly I worried her teeth would pulverize. Blood boiled in her veins. I could tell because her skin was tinged a bright pink and the pulse point on her neck throbbed incessantly. She was about to internally combust. Like a bomb. If only I had the power to diffuse her anger before it detonated.

“I could say the same about you. Can’t I?” Aubrey emerged from behind her hands; a curtain of tears stained her face. She was laying it on thick, and even still she had venom in her tone. It was killing her to play nice. This would most definitely be when her true colors came bleeding through.

Before Stella could lunge at her the way I sensed she wanted to, I placed a hand on her shoulder and silently prayed I wouldn’t have to break up a cat fight. “Calm down, baby. Don’t let her get to you.”

“What is she doing here? That’s all I want to know!”

“I’m back,” Aubrey sang again. This time she was rubbing it in and it made me cringe.

“Well, if she’s back, then I’m out.” Stella spun on her bare feet and marched toward the bedroom.

“Hey! Wait. Where do you think you’re going?” I ran after her and tugged her by the elbow when I caught up.

“Let go, Jack. I can’t be in the same room as that . . . that . . .”

“Go ahead. Say it. It’ll make you feel better.”

“You don’t want me to say what I want to say. She’s your sister. I’m not that mean, even if she is an evil, mother—” She stopped herself, plopped onto the bed, and raked her fingers through her unruly hair.

“Stella, talk to me. What can I do?” I was in a nasty pickle. I knew I had to kick Aubrey out, but if I chose Stella over her, who knew what crazy reaction might stew up inside my sister.

“I can’t be here with her, Jack. I won’t. I heard her spewing her bull from in here and I read between her lines of lies. She hasn’t changed. She’s full of crap. Aubrey isn’t capable of remorse. I learned that the hard way.”

It was true. I didn’t need to be coaxed. Stella spoke from experience and first hand involvement in my sister’s tangled web of deceit and drama. I had to let Aubrey down easy. My decision wasn’t a hard one to make, it was just the delivery that would suck. I had limited time with Stella and she was an invited guest in my home. Aubrey, on the other hand, was like bird shit. When she was around, she was everywhere, unavoidable. If I had to get her out of the picture until Stella was on the East Coast, I’d find a way. “Okay, you stay here. I’ll go talk to her.”

“Make her leave, Jack. I’m sorry to make you choose. I hate it, but I—”

“I got this, babe. I promise. Consider her gone.” I placed a kiss on her tightly clamped lips and nuzzled my nose with hers.

“You don’t hate me?” She bit her lower lip as she awaited my response.

“I
love
you.”

“I love you, too.” The bright smile that fed my soul and nurtured my heart was back. “Should I come out there? Or—you know what, I’m gonna stay put. I know you can handle her better than I can and blood won’t wind up splattered all over your neatly painted walls.”

“
Our
neatly painted walls.” I corrected, squeezing her hand in mine.

“Well, since you put it that way . . . Can you please kick your sister out of
our
place?” Her cheeks plumped up with an exaggerated, toothy grin.

“Get back under those covers. I’ll come join you in no time.”

“With coffee?”

“With coffee,” I agreed, and planted a lingering kiss on those lips I could never resist.

It sucked to have to choose between my sister and my girlfriend, but this was a unique case. I couldn’t allow Stella to worry about my commitment to our relationship or my stance on the Aubrey situation. My sister was trouble; I knew that. Unfortunately, I was also bound to her by blood.

Before I could consider it any longer, I marched back into the kitchen with my balls in check.

“Aubrey, you have to go!” I was stern and to the point. No lines to read between. Nothing to be confused about. I didn’t want her here and now she knew.

“Are you seriously choosing
her
over me?”

I knew that was coming.

“Why do you have to see it that way? It’s not about sides. It’s just the way it has to be.”